Carrot Sticks vs Baby Carrots

So I know some of you love your baby carrots, but I am here to tell you-there is another, more frugal way!

First of all, do you realize that baby carrots aren’t REALLY baby carrots? They are simply big carrots (that have been bred to be a bit sweeter and orange all the way through) which have been chopped into 3 pieces and then sent through a special machine to basically sand them down into those cute little nubs.

And for the privilege of the change is shape you pay extra! A recent price comparison (as in I made poor Yankee Bill stop at the store on the way home last night to check for me) “Baby Carrots” ran $1.89 per pound, while regular carrots were $1.29.

You can stop the baby carrot habit quickly and easily just by following these simple steps to make your own carrot sticks (or “stix” if you are cool).

Honestly people, this takes about 3 minutes from start to finish. I probably peel and cut carrots a couple of days a week for the kiddos. If you really want to think ahead, you could peel and cut a whole bunch then store them in a container for easy snacking throughout the week.

My kids love them in their lunches with a little container of dressing to dip them in.

There you go! You just saved $.60 cents a pound and all it took was a couple of minutes of work.

Comments

Our stores have sales on baby carrots sometimes so they are often $0.99/lb. However, when I use your method and buy regular sized carrots, they always get eaten quicker! Not sure what that is about, but I guess there is a renewed novelty in having carrot sticks.

I can get organic full sized carrots for $1/lb, which is cheaper than organic baby carrots, so I do what you do and just cut them down 🙂 My puppy also loves carrots for a snack and a whole carrot lasts a lot longer than the baby carrots (thicker so it takes longer for her to chew).

We rely on “carrot waste” as part of our pet feeding strategy. If I’m going to chop and peel a carrot, I’m going to save the skin and ends for the dog. She loves them and it’s healthy too! The same goes for most other veggies…. except we never give her the insides of red or green peppers. That stuff makes her puke 🙁

I am with Heather! I just learned about the fact that they soak the baby carrots in a bleach solution so I stopped buying them. I also learned that most of the nutrition is in the skin – so you can even cut out that step and it takes less than three minutes!

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About Frugal Upstate

I’m Jenn –an Upstate NY wife, mom, blogger and veteran. I talk very fast, read constantly, take on too much and make plenty of mistakes. I’m a real person, not perfection. I love to talk about the frugal lifestyle, “Village Homesteading”, living a more sustainable lifestyle and being prepared for all the curves life throws at you.

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